A Minstrel's Tale
by youdontneedtoknow
Summary: "Every Tortallan girl dreamed of descending the Great Stair in the Queen's ballroom with all eyes fixed on her..." A mysterious stranger is following Linette around. What does he want from her? ::Incomplete, Will Not Be Completed::
1. Storm

"Every Tortallan girl dreamed of descending the Great Stair in the Queen's ballroom with all eyes fixed on her, the knight of her dreams singling her out and bearing her away to a life of bliss. Minstrels made their living off common-born girls presented at court by mysterious-wealthy - guardians just for that fate."-Lioness Rampant  
  
Once upon a time. . .  
  
A girl stood in the courtyard of the castle, sweeping the cobblestone path. It was littered with debris after the storm of last night, which had proceeded to rip apart the land. Every so often she would lift a large branch and load it onto the cart that followed her. A donkey pulled the cart, braying incessantly as the girl worked. Her face knitted up in concentration, but broke to a look of frustration every time the donkey let out another noise. Her eyes shot daggers at the donkey, who stared vacantly back at her as she worked.  
  
The sky overhead welled up in fury as it had the previous night. Angry black thunderclouds filled the sky. The girl glanced up as lightning flashed across the sky, biting her lip from screaming out in irritation that the sky would dare to begin it incessant storm. The thunderclouds burst, showering her and the donkey with splashes of cold water. It rained in buckets, and threatened to rain in ponds as she loaded her broom into the cart. She sat amidst the rubble, and gathered the reins of the cart. She yanked on the reins, trying to get the donkey to move.  
  
The donkey defied her, and stood on the path lazily; the only acknowledgement that he had noticed the tug was him turning his head to look at her, giving another blank stair. She reached for a particularly long stick from the cart and impatiently prodded the donkey with it. He brayed again, but started to amble slowly down the path. She poked him again, and he picked up his pace to a slow trot. She steered him toward the stables, her teeth chattering as she attempted to bury her arms in the folds of her skirts.  
  
A young stable boy ran to her as she stumbled down from the cart. He grabbed her arm to balance her, and then took the reins from her hands. She gave him a small smile, and helped him unhitch the donkey from the cart. She dragged it inside of the stable where it wouldn't be subject to the harsh winds and rains, while he tended to the donkey. She watched him pat the donkey on the nose while she wrung the water from the skirt, allowing the water to drip all over the dirt floor. She realized it had begun to turn the floor to mud, so she flung a handful of hay over the mess to hide it.  
  
She waved a small goodbye to the stable boy and hurried out back into the rain. She sprinted to the castle to get out of the rain. Slipping in a puddle, she fell flat on her face. She sat up on the ground, and touched her face. It stung as her muddy fingers chafed the raw skin. She tried to stand, but as soon as she stood she tottered to the ground again. She winced: her ankle was twisted.  
  
She heard a carriage bouncing up to the castle's front gates, and tried to stand to get out of the way. The carriage came to a halt a few feet behind her, and a man stepped out into the pouring rain. He walked over to the girl, and offered her his arm. She looked up to his face, but it was shrouded in the shadow of his cloak. He helped her to stand, and led her to his carriage. Surprised, she allowed him to help her into the carriage, and watched as he climbed in after her.  
  
The man didn't speak as the carriage started to roll once more. He watched her, and she shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. Finally, he broke the silence: "What's your name, girl?"  
  
She relaxed as she answered, "Linette my lord, just Linette." He questioned her no further, just watched her from under the shadows of his cloak. She sensed he was smiling, but was still curious to who this was. She was about to ask when the carriage came to a halt in front of the main entrance to the castle. The man stepped from the carriage and again offered his arm to Linette. She timidly took his arm, feeling more self conscious of her rank by the second.  
  
He led her to the castle doors, and they swung open as the footman from the carriage pulled them. The man pulled Linette inside and called out for a healer to come. A healer appeared moments later, carrying a small bag. The lord asked him to tend to her ankle, and strode off. Linette watched him walk away, observing the confident swagger of a rich noble man. She was pulled back into the moment as the healer attempted to readjust her ankle with his gift.  
  
Her ankle relaxed, but still appeared to be swollen. The healer wrapped her ankle in a bit of cloth, telling her to change the bandaging every night for three days. Linette hobbled to her feet, and hurried off to the servant's quarters. Her head spun as she wondered who this kind stranger was, so she didn't notice when she turned the corner and crashed right into somebody.  
  
Author's Note: *Sigh* Please, please, please don't tell me that I've created a Mary Sue. I'm trying to give her a personality, but I haven't written very much yet so you haven't really seen any of it. Flames are welcome, but only if you explain why you're flaming me. 


	2. Almonds and Cake

Linette lay sprawled upon the floor as the other person climber to their feet. She felt a chubby arm pull her up, the heard the unmistakable voice of the head servant. "Linette! Watch where you're goin' lass! You could kill me one of these days!"  
  
Linette cringed as she noticed the angry tone of voice. "I'm sorry Cecilia, I wasn't paying attention."  
  
"Darn right you weren't, girl! And what took you so long cleaning up the courtyard? We need your help at the kitchens tonight!" Cecilia continued to berate her, but Linette cut her off.  
  
"I twisted my ankle. And you know how stubborn and slow those stable donkeys are!"  
  
Cecilia sighed. "I know lass. I'm sorry for letting my temper get the best of me. But these are stressful times, what with the Midwinter Ball coming up. King Jasson's invited every noble in Tortall to come, seems like. Just get to the kitchens now, the cooks need someone to do errands for them. Can you walk on that ankle of yours?  
  
Linette tested her weight on it, and was surprised to notice that it didn't even hurt anymore. She supposed the three days the healer had told her to wait was just a safety precaution. She nodded, and then hurried off to the kitchens.  
  
Linette found the cooks in a frenzy. She looked for a familiar face, and bolted towards the person at the other side of the kitchen before another cook spotted her. She smiled at the Carthaki cook, who was busy applying frosting to a platter of small tea cakes. "Chavi, can I help you?"  
  
The cook jumped, crushing one of the tiny cakes. "Gods, you scared the living daylights out of me girl." She looked down at the flattened cake and sighed. "Oh well, I made a few extra. Lucky that I hadn't started with the frosting on this one yet." She held the cake out to Linette. "Either toss it or eat it girl, then you can help me."  
  
Linette walked to the end of the kitchen and opened the door there. She took a small piece from the cake and ate it, then threw it out to the stray dogs that waited outside of the door for that sole purpose. She licked her lips as she half-pushed through the mad bustle of cooks to where Chavi was frosting cakes. "Chavi, that was good, crushed or not." she laughed. "Sorry about that. I seem to have a knack for ruining things."  
  
She started to tell Chavi about the sprained ankle and the kind noble, but was interrupted by the cook next to Chavi. "Lass, if yer goin' to stand here and talk about, go do me a favor." He pointed to the exit where she had thrown the cake. "Go and get me the biggest sack of almonds you can find from the storage shed out there. It should be unlocked."  
  
Linette scowled but did as she was told. She again pushed through the mass of flesh and the mixed smell of every food Linette had ever known. She inhaled the aroma of beef, cakes, fish, and the unmistakable scent of her favorite drink, hot apple cider. She grimaced as she shook herself back to reality, remembering that she was a maid with an errand to do. She pushed the door leading to the storm open, leaning into the force of the gale that certainly had not been there just a few moments before.  
  
Linette surveyed the courtyard before stepping into the fierceness of the storm. All of the dogs were gone, no doubt realizing that the few scraps of food they could get or steal were not worth battling with nature's fury. She pulled her arms tightly around her, mentally scolding herself for not borrowing or even getting her own cloak from her room. Her long brown hair tumbled into her face as she dashed across the yard, being sure to not come down too hard upon her sprained ankle. Finally the sight of the shack loomed into view, surprisingly close for the amount of time it took her to distinguish it from the gray of the storm. She pulled herself into it, and the wind pushed the door shut without her having to wrench her arms away from her chest for a second time.  
  
Unbeknownst to her, somebody had watched her trek to the shed from the safety of the castle. . .  
  
Author's Note: I am sooooo sorry for not updating this in *counts on fingers, then on toes* ummm. a very long time. Please forgive me for the delay. I apologize for the shortness of the chapter, but. . . I am lazy. Please review both of my stories, I will love you (but not in a perverted way) if you do. In answer to your questions:  
  
milky way bar and Midnight Unicorn: A Mary Sue is a girl who is just a little too perfect to be real. If you want to understand a little bit more, there is a guide to Mary Sues by an author called TA Maxwell on fictionpress.net. I think it's called "The Official Mary Sue Manuel." It details the different types of Mary Sues and how to avoid writing one.  
  
Wicklowe: This is supposed to be taking place at the royal palace, and it is supposed to be her home, not a stranger's home. I'm sorry if I worded it confusingly.  
  
Robinwyn: If you read the quote I have at the very beginning of the first chapter, you will see how the "Minstrel's Tale" thing fits in.  
  
EvenSong: Yeah, I know it was underdeveloped, and I wish I could fix it, but I kind of wanted to make it a sort of teaser chapter. I promise future chapters will be longer.  
  
treanz-alyce: THANK YOU! 


	3. The Queen's Ballroom

Author's Note: Hmm… this fic seems to be MUCH popular than my other one… I didn't think anyone lese would dig the fairy-tale-ish thing much, because I thought it was just me… So now I don't feel alone! And a warning to anyone who reads this: this story will be incredible sappy and other things similar to that, so if that's not your style, read it anyways and don't flame me about that! And to Peachy Garlic- I guess it was kind of inevitable that she would become a Mary Sue. I mean, it's almost physically impossible *not* to make one with the quote I used. Lol, I hope everyone likes the story, cuz here it goes off again:

            Linette looked around the dark shed. She saw many bags laid about, and looked up one a shelf that was nailed to the back. A few bags were on it, and she grabbed a random sack. She untied the drawstring pouch, and looked inside. It was filled with sand and a few pebbles, but that was not what caught her eye. She saw a glimmer, and grabbed at it to bring it out into somewhat better light. 

            It was a ring. A diamond ring, to be more precise. It sparkled in the dim light of the shed, a miracle in its own right. She doubted that it was a true diamond, but it never hurt to check. She slipped it into her apron pocket to have the royal jeweler examine later, wondering who could be careless enough to leave this in such an unthinkable place. She resigned to report it to the head servant, and looked back at the sand filled bag again.

            There was no sort of label on it. The bag itself was identical to all of the other bags in the cabin. She tightened and tied the string back around the bag, and placed it back upon the damp shelf. She looked through a few more of the bags on the shelf before finding the almond bag, plenty large enough for any cook. She wrapped her arms around it, and used her uninjured ankle to kick open the shed door. 

            The storm outside was just as bad as before. The wind howled and whistled in her ears, but she ignored it as her mind whirled with confusing thoughts about the ring. She stumbled back into the kitchens, and felt the warmth of the ovens wash over her. She pushed her way back to Chavi and the other cook, and handed over the bag of almonds. The other cook took it without looking up at her, his eyes still fixed on the almond pastries he was shaping delicately.

            "I'm back again." Linette informed Chavi of her presence while the cook continued to ice the cakes. 

            "So you are." I'm sorry, Linette, but there's really nothing for you to do right now. Perhaps you should go as Cecilia for cleaning work. There's a huge group of servants waxing the floor in the Queen's Ballroom. Should take you the better chunk of the day."

            "I suppose you're right." Linette hating waxing the floors, but at least she could be useful. She knew Cecelia wouldn't mind, and didn't really care if she did mind. She shoved her way through out of the kitchens to hurry on to the Queen's Ballroom. 

            The way to the ballroom was familiar to her. King Jasson often held balls so that he could invite foreign ambassadors to them, to keep the peace within Tortall. This year was slightly different, however. King Jasson's only son, Prince Roald, was to be knighted that day, praying that he survived the Chamber of the Ordeal. The elaborate feasting and dancing would continue on for well into the night, usually only breaking up when the king would fall asleep.

            Linette made her way to the halls, passing many people on the way. Some were servants carrying cleaning supplies, others were just maids like her, trying to find somewhere to work. All, she noticed, had the unmistakable scent of lye soap and wax. She wrinkled her nose as she passed someone with a particularly strong scent, and resigned to breathe through her mouth. 

            Linette turned the corner and came to a stop in front of the heavy wooden doors. They were carved with the most intricate designs from master artisans throughout the kingdom of Tortall. Towards the top, the doors were inlaid with a border of crystalline roses, and bore the insignia "Regina Saltatio Aedes." Linette gazed in awe for what felt like the thousandth time at the complexity of the design. 

            The doors slowly opened, forcing her out of her stupor. As another maid came out, Linette went in. She walked a few steps out, and gazed around.  The ballroom was as impressive as the doors that led to it. The floor was cream colored marble, and in the center of the floor was a marble design of the Conte line's coat-of-arms. The famous Great Stair was another main focal point, ten feet in width and curved ever so slightly. A red carpet was rolled up at its foot, but Linette remembered how it was on the actual night of the ball.  The carpet would be rolled out, and would lead to the platform where the king and queen's throne were placed. 

            Linette walked over to the center of the floor, where there was a large collaboration of servants. Quickly she inquired to where the buckets with lye were, and a relieved servant handed a bucket to her, and then went to get supplies to wax the floor. Linette got down on her hands and knees with the other servants. She reached into the bucket to grab the scrubbing brush, but quickly drew them back out. She bit her lip from the sting of the lye, and braced herself. This time she grabbed the brush in one swift motion, and began scrubbing the floor. 

            The calluses on her hands were used to the hard handle of the wooden scrub, but not to the lye. They stung as she scrubbed, the pain unrelenting. She glanced around at the other servants, and noticed that some had their hands beginning to bloody from the work. She wondered how it was possible for them to be bleeding, yet still get the floor clean. She internally shuddered at the sight of all of the bloody hands, and sent a prayer to the goddess that the same thing would not happen to her. 

            The servants began to separate and expand towards the outskirts of the room. Linette found a corner to herself. When she was sure everyone was far enough not to hear, she began to hum a tune to herself. Eventually the humming turned into a soft singing, and Linette felt more at ease with herself and the scrubbing. She didn't notice a man approach her.

            "Hello." 

            Linette jumped, almost knocking over her lye bucket. She stood up, and gathered her skirt into her hands to curtsey. "Good day, m'lord. Can I help you?"

            "Perhaps. You see, I have lost something precious of mine. A beautiful diamond ring, it was." the man told her. "Have you seen it?"

            Linette was puzzled at the coincidence. She drew the ring from her pocket and held it up to the light. "Like this, m'lord?"

            The man's face lit up with a grin. "Yes, that's it! Wherever did you find it?" He took the ring from her fingers and smiled again. Linette opened her mouth to answer his question, but closed it again when he continued. "Thank you so much. I'll remember your kindness—and your lovely singing voice—Linette."

            Linette blushed as the man strode off, and she observed the same confident stride that she had seen earlier. She slowly attempted to piece together the puzzle, but nothing seemed to fit. However did the ring find its way to her? Still extremely confused, she went back down on her hands and knees to scrub, as she watched as the man walked away, turned the corner, and disappeared. 

Thank Yous: 

 treanz-alyce- Good stalker! Thank you for all of your reviews!

Annonimous- Thank you for your review! I hope you liked this chapter!

krissi697- Hi Kristen! I can't believe you actually reviewed! Go review again!

Peachy Garlic- Thanks for reviewing, and if you didn't read the first AN, see above.

milky way bar- You're welcome. And yeah, I reviewed Flashback, thanks for reviewing my fic!


	4. Banquet Hall

            A few hours later, the Queen's Ballroom sparkled. The floor was clean enough to eat off of, and Linette could clearly see her reflection. She smiled at their hard work and went to the chambers to wash up for supper. 

            She followed the hordes of servants back to the servant's quarters. She was dimly aware that her hands were bleeding, but only slightly. She gathered them into the folds of her apron to numb the pain, as she still puzzled over the strange man. 

             It was obvious how he knew her name, she had told him earlier. But how in the name of Mithros had the ring gotten into the bag with sand and rocks? She bit her lip as she attempted to comprehend the situation, but gave up. It was impossible to understand, even to someone with more of a complex thinking process than Linette. 

            She realized that she had arrived in the servants' quarters. She strode to the room that she shared with Chavi, and stepped in. A basin on the nightstand was filled with water. Linette dipped her hands into it, appreciating the coolness of the water on her chafed skin. Eventually the bleeding resided, and the only trace that remained were that her hands were faintly pink.

            As Linette stooped to wash her face in the water, Chavi rushed in. "Oh good, you're free." She told Linette. "We need an extra person to serve at the meal tonight. One of the serving girls got sick, and everyone else is busy." She looked at Linnete, and said, "You don't mind, do you?"

            Linette smiled at her friend. "No, of course not. I know how it is around here these days." She would have preferred an earlier bedtime, but it was worth it to help out. Besides, it was fun to make fun of the noble's too fancy clothing with the other serving maids. Linette crawled across to the foot of the bed. She rummaged in the trunk next to it, and pulled out the uniform and apron of a serving maid.

            "Now out Chavi! Can't a girl get some privacy around here?!" Linette jokingly hopped up and pushed her friend out of the room, the cook laughing at her. 

            "Fine, girl, you just better get yourself down there before I drag you down myself, dressed or not." She closed the door on Linette, leaving her to dress alone. Linette quickly pulled off her dress and apron, before sliding the fresh ones over her head. She reached around her back to button them, and tied a bow on the back of the apron. She checked her appearance in the small looking glass she and Chavi kept over the washing basin, and hurried out the door.

            She passed some pages in the hallway to the kitchens, coming down to help serve the meal. They were laughing and pushing each other, stunning in the simple, yet elegant, page uniforms. Linette rolled her eyes, and hurried past them. 

            She found the kitchen in more of a frenzy than it had been a few hours ago. The cooks were busy making sure the food for the entire court was hot, and maids were handing off tureens and platters of food. Linette giggled as she saw a small squire trying to carry a platter larger than him, and went to help him. 

            "Here, boy, hold it like this." She took the platter from him and showed him where to place his hands on it, before giving it back to him. 

            He blushed and muttered "Thank you." before rejoining his fellow pages to deliver food to the nobility. 

            Linette heard giggling and turned. A group of serving girls were standing nearby, watching her. "One of them laughed, "Did you see that poor boy? That plate was bigger than he was!" They all laughed, Linette included. Another chimed, "I don't see why they make the poor pages deliver the food, its not like they ever have to do that as a knight. That's _our_ job." A laugh didn't come this time; they all were pondering why this was.

            A maid named Delilah said, "Who cares? Less work for us, and the same pay!" This made a laugh arise from all of the maids as the watched the pages struggle. The group broke up when Cecelia came by, yelling at them to help the cooks give the food to the boys. They still giggled as they streamed away, to offer the help they were paid to give.

            Linette began to hand a platter of fish to one of the boys, who refused to take it. "I'm allergic to fish." He stated. Linette sighed, and set the plate down on the counter. She ran off to find a free page, only to see that there _were no free pages. She walked up to Cecelia, and told her the problem. _

            "Just go do it yourself. Nobody'll care." Cecelia shooed an aggravated Linette off, who went back to retrieve the platter. She inquired to the page who he exactly he had been serving, and he pointed. She whisked the tray up into both of her arms, and carried it off into the banquet hall.   
  


            The hall was spectacular. The long tables were set up, with a sparkling white tablecloth upon them. Linette whistled at the pages' ability to miss the tables when they fell, which was quite often. 

            Linette abruptly thought of the noble who had seemed to turn up in the oddest of places. She glanced around to see where he was, so that maybe she could ask his serving page of his name. She wasn't looking to where she was going, and tripped over the long hem of her skirt. Much to her dismay, the fish  and it's ceramic plate tipped off her platter, and fell onto the floor. The fish and shards of the plate laid in a heap before her.

            Linette groaned. She gathered the mess back onto the unharmed tray, and felt someone brush up against her. She looked up, and saw her stalker. She gasped as he stood up, and looked down at the pilings in the tray. When she glanced back up, the man was gone, and the chatter in the banquet hall continued. Thoroughly confused, she stood up and brought the tray back to the kitchens. 

Author's note: I need someone who can write good poetry (preferably rhyming, but not necessarily) for my last chapter of the story, and I might as well ask now rather than wait until the last minute. I will give you full credit for the poem, and promise to review at least four of your fics if you do. If interested, please contact me at notacompletefreak@yahoo.com. Please, someone reply to this, it is needed for me to be able to complete the story, and I am hopeless with poetry. 

BTW, thank you to all of the people who reviewed. And to answer the question most of you seem to ask, it's not Roald… You'll have to wait till I finish the story to see my "unexpected" twist! 


	5. Dreaming

            The night passed by without further incident, though Linette still puzzled over everything. She had brought the spilled dished back to the kitchen, where she received a small scolding from Cecilia before being sent back with a new plate of fish for the courtiers.

            Linette went to her and Chavi's room after the long banquet was over. She began undressing and had finished changing into a nightgown as Chavi walked in. "Mithros, you're a klutz, girl. Can't you even manage to stay on both of your feet for ten minutes?"

            Linette grinned. "You know I can't. It's the way I was born. I must have been dropped on my head at birth." She climbed into bed, pulling the thin blankets around her. She doused the candle on her nightstand, allowing Chavi to use her own candle to prepare for bed with. 

            "Drat. Girl, now I have to find something to light the candle with. You're so selfish." Chavi scolded Linette, who continued to lie in bed.

            "Use your gift. The gods punish those who don't use their magic." Linette muttered, without looking up at her friend.

            Chavi sighed. "Fine, you lazy slug. Next time, just leave your candle lit, okay?" She lit the candle with the touch of a finger, and Linette drifted off into sleep.

            Linette was sitting on a pile of almonds, counting them. Abruptly, the pile turned into diamond rings, and she was falling through them, falling deep into the abysmal darkness. The wind around her whistled and howled, and dozens of smells filled her nose at once. Fish, apple cider, almond cake, the smell of the stables, lye, soap, and a candle.

            A hand grabbed her own, and the falling sensation ceased. She looked up into the face of her stalker, smiling ever so slightly. He grabbed her hand, and they danced. Linette looked down at her maid's uniform, to find it was a beautiful ball gown, worthy of the queen herself. She twirled and turned in time to the music. And yes, there was music. No minstrels or other musicians were to be seen, yet the music filled the air. 

            Linette glanced down and saw nothing, they were dancing on air. She looked up into the face of her "friend" once more, but she could no longer distinguish his features from the rest of him. Slowly he faded, yet Linette still felt his hands on her, guiding her to the rhythm of the music. 

            She observed how her dress swayed elegantly, giving the impression that Linette was weightless. The gown was a beautiful thing, made of fine rose colored silk, smooth to the touch. Embroidered scarlet flowers danced along the bottom of the dress, all embroidered with perfect precision. The bodice of the dress had no sleeves; only two thin straps were preventing the dress from falling. A red gauze shawl covered her shoulders, and her normally tied up brown hair was flowing in loose waves around her shoulders. 

            The feeling of hands guiding her slowly disappeared, and the music disappeared. The elegant dress disappeared, leaving Linette with her servants' garb. She fell once more, and this time there was no one to catch her. She landed with a thud, echoing throughout her own mind.

            Linette awoke when Chavi shook her. "Get up girl, there's something you gotta see!" An excited tone filled her voice, and Linette allowed herself to be awoken. 

            "What is it, Chavi?" Linette muttered through closed eyes, still groggy from the rude awakening. Chavi grabbed her arm, and pulled her to a standing position. Linette opened her eyes and gasped.

            A dress hung from the door. _Her_ dress. The one from her dream. It was as beautiful as it was in her dreams; the silken garment sparkled in the early morning light streaming from the windows. 

            Linette gasped and rubbed her eyes, positive she was back in her dream. When she reopened her eyes, the dress was still there in its full glory, just waiting for her to try it on. She grabbed the material, and caressed it against her skin. "It's so soft." She murmured, stroking the fabric.

            "Look, there was a note attached." Chavi held out a small scrap of paper, embellished with spidery handwriting. Linette read the note aloud: 

"Linette,

            Please attend the Midwinter ball tomorrow night as my guest. Come to the room above the Queen's Staircase. 

A Noble Friend"

            Linette stared at the note in disbelief. Her, a servant, being invited to the Midwinter ball.  The idea was absurd! Still, the note said the write was a noble, or at least gave the impression. She mentally pieced these bits of the puzzle into place. This note was most likely written by that noble man, the one who kept appearing wherever she went. She never really did get around to asking his name…

            Chavi plucked the note from her hand. "Well, I think that you should go. Someone obviously went to a lot of trouble to get you that dress, just look at this design!" she grabbed the hem of the dress, and examined its underside. "This dress must have cost a fortune; it looks to be the best Yamani silk money can buy! Mithros knows how rare this is to come by."

            Linette sat back down on the bed. "I don't know. A maid like me has no place among those fine courtiers." She bit her lip, wondering what she should do.

            "Nonsense, you'll fit right in. That dress is finer than all of those ladies' dresses, and if you do something with that hair of yours, you'll fit right in." 

            Linette looked up at her friend. "You're right, I should go. I think that this mystery person would like it." Linette walked over to the side table, and bent over the water basin. She scrubbed her face with the water, and groped for the towel. 

            Her hand closed on a small box, instead of the towel. "Chavi, did you leave something on the table?"

            Chavi's muffled voice was still audible through the folds of the clean dress she was putting on. "No, I haven't been near it since yesterday. Why do you ask?"

            Linette used her other hand to find the towel, and wiped the water from her face. She examined the small box she now hand in her hands. "I found something." She pried open the clasp, and nearly dropped the box.

            A crystalline necklace laid in the box. The crimson gem glittered in the light, and was carved into the shape of a rose. Linette gently lifted it out of the box, and examined it. It hung from a delicate silver chain of woven metal. Chavi lumbered over to her, and voiced a gasp that rivaled Linette's. 

            "Mithros, girl, someone out there loves you. _What_ did you do?"

            Linette blushed, her face turning redder than the gem. "You know I'm not some common whore!" Linette stuck her nose up in the air. Though some of the maids found this to be a suitable night job, Linette shuddered at the thought of a stranger forcing himself onto her. 

            "Relax, I was just kidding. I know you, of all people, wouldn't do something like that. Besides, you're too young."

            "Seventeen is not that young! Most of those women are younger than me!" Linette gave her friend a look of mock indignation, before turning around to pull on her own fresh clothes. 

            Chavi laughed, and headed out the door for the kitchens. The Midwinter Ball's food preparations had to begin at least the day before, for the cooks were nearly incapable of producing so much food in just a single day. She closed the door behind her, leaving Linette in the room alone.

            Still thinking, Linette pulled on her skirt and bodice. As she tied her apron, she found herself planning out tomorrow's events. 'If I borrow lip color, nail color, and rogue from another maid, I will have everything I need.' Shoes weren't much of a problem, for she had a pair of fancy slippers from her mother in her trunk. 

            Linette sighed as she thought about her family. After the attack on her village five years ago, she really had nobody left. The person she could come closest to calling family would be Chavi. Even still, she wished she had someone to truly love. . .

Author's Note: So, how did you like it? I know that I kind of rushed creating a background for Linette, but at least you sort of get more of a drift of her feelings. Sorry that it took so long for an update, I've had a bit of writers block. Much thanks to Peachy Garlic for her excellent poem, so I don't need somebody to write a poem anymore. I think that there will be around two or three more chapters to this. Please review people, reviews spur me to write more! Oh yes, I have a new website! If you're interested, it's So go there! It was mainly made in protest of fanfiction.net taking down treanz-alyce's fic "You Don't Say?" You can view her story there, and I have a … err… "challenge" for everyone. 


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